This is the answer. From time immemorial, kids have made their own toys.
I remember my sisters, back in the forties, making clothespin dolls. Each sister made a whole family of them. Painted on the faces. Made the dresses and clothing from scraps of material from Mother’s sewing basket. I wanted “in”, so they made a bunch of clothespin soldiers for me. My soldiers fought many a battle on the dirt hill in the backyard, until the dog got ahold of them and chewed them all to shreds.
More happy memories...
My sisters could do without Barbie crap townhouses. They made houses for their clothespin dolls out of cardboard boxes. They cut furnishings and appliances, wallpaper, etc. from my Mother’s “ladies” magazines and glued them onto the walls of their “houses”.
One sister loved to read to me. She read to me the story of Rip Van Winkle. I got it into my head that I wanted to do a marionette show of the story. Another sister built a cardboard “set” for me out of a big box. She painted on the trees and other scenery. My marionettes were made out of a wooden bead set. Another sister did these, dressed them in costumes..it was fantastic. We all had a part in the show. We invited all the neighbor kids in for the big production. It was a hit!
We used our imaginations...flights of fancy; creativity to the ‘nth power.
Kids who play with Mattel crap are denied the opportunity to expand their minds and their imaginations.
I feel so sorry for kids today.